How To Become A Great Christian Leader
Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, became a familiar sight to millions with his company’s television commercials. Dave also appeared in a lot of training films for Wendy’s employees. In those training films he would dress as his workers dressed – wearing a Wendy’s hat and apron.
One year he appeared on the cover of one of the company’s annual reports dressed in a knee-length work apron holding a mop and a plastic bucket. Dave never finished high school but later in life he got his G.E.D. Dave was a self-made millionaire. Long before he went off on his own and started Wendy’s – he worked his way up through the ranks of Colonel Sanders’ Kentucky Fried Chicken chain. He was not unaccustomed to hard work.
Dave said, “I got my M.B.A. long before I got my G.E.D. At Wendy’s M.B.A. does not mean Master of Business Administration – it means Mop Bucket Attitude.” Dave Thomas taught all his employees that service comes before success. The Wendy’s owner could have learned that lesson from Jesus. Follow along with me as I read our focal verse for today:
"If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Mark 9:35 (NKJV)
FACT:
As followers of Jesus – leadership is a matter of being a SERVANT.
Today we are going to look at what makes a Great Christian Leader.
1. A Great Christian Leader Serves JESUS.
To be a Christian means that you are a follower of Christ. You have put Jesus in charge of your life. You have asked Him to forgive you of your sins. You have asked Him to guide and direct you as you live out your faith in Him. You have asked Him to be your Savior and your Lord. In other words you are allowing Him control of your life. You allow Him to be in charge. You serve Him.
To be a great Christian leader means nothing less than putting Jesus in charge of your life – it means putting Jesus in control – it means following Him – it means serving Him. All of us are serving something or someone. The question is who are you serving? The Bible says:
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other." Luke 16:13 (NKJV)
Bob Dylan the world famous folk singer came to understand this concept in his song – “Gotta Serve Somebody” He wrote:
You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long sting of pearls
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody. (1)
The question is – who are you serving? Who is in charge of your life? Who is your Lord? Who is your boss? Who is your master? God is the one who should be in charge. He is the one we need to serve. One of the best Biblical images of being a servant of God is found in Psalm chapter one hundred twenty three:
“Like servants, alert to their master’s commands, like a maiden attending her lady, We’re watching and waiting, holding our breath, awaiting God’s word of mercy.” Psalms 123:2 (MSG)
As followers of Christ we are to wait to hear to from our Lord. We are to listen carefully wanting to know what our Master wants us to do – waiting to hear His voice – willing to follow His commands. As servants we wait for our Lord to speak to us. Look at the way Jesus said it:
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27 (NKJV)
To be a great Christian leader means that you listen to what Jesus tells you to do – and you respond willingly - you follow His direction and you serve Jesus.
To be a Great Christian Leader you need to serve Christ – but also:
2. A Great Christian Leader Serves FELLOW SERVANTS.
The great preacher Dwight L. Moody once said, “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.”
We always have trouble with this – don’t we? We want to be "served" rather than to serve. We want to be first. We want to be in front of the pack. The disciples would always have trouble with this too.
Do you remember the story found in Mark chapter nine? Jesus and the disciples were traveling along the road in Galilee going to Capernaum and were talking along the way. You want to know what the disciples were talking about as they were walking along? They we talking about who would be the greatest in God’s Kingdom. When they reached Capernaum they went into a house and Jesus asked them, “What were you talking about along the way?” Ashamed of themselves – a little embarrassed of themselves – they did not give Him an answer. But Jesus already knew what they had been talking about. Do you know what Jesus said to them? It’s our focal passage for today – He said:
"If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Mark 9:35 (NKJV)
We all what to be first. We all want to be greatest – don’t we? But Jesus takes things and turns them inside out – upside down. “If you want to first – you must be last.” If you want to be on the top – you must be on the bottom. If you want to great – you must become the least. That’s God’s economics. That’s how things work in God’s Kingdom.
Let me tell you another story from the Bible:
On the night before Jesus was to go to the cross, the Lord gathered his little band of disciples together in the upper room. It was a critical night - He knew it. He wanted them to know it too. Jesus surprised the room full of His followers by taking off his coat, picked up a towel and a basin - He washed their feet. Some of them protested that this was beneath His position. Washing a person’s feet was the task of common servant or a slave – it was not the task of the one in charge - not the task of the leader. But none of them offered to take over. He said to them. “I am leaving you an example. Do as I have done – just as I have washed your feet, so you need to do the same to each other.” He went on to say:
"You call me ’Teacher’ and ’Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:13-14)
We need to serve one another - for:
"If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Mark 9:35 (NKJV)
I think Paul’s words apply here:
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV)
Our third point is:
3. A Great Christian Leader Serves SELF.
Listen carefully to this point.
I am not saying that a Great Christian Leader should be selfish. I am not saying that a Great Christian Leader should be self-centered. I am not saying that a Great Christian Leader should be self-absorbed. What I am saying is: if you want to be a Great Christian Leader you need to have a healthy self-image. By having a healthy self-image you become more productive in God’s Kingdom. Look at what the Bible says in Romans chapter twelve:
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 (NKJV)
We are instructed to do two things in this verse:
A. Not to think more highly of ourselves then we ought.
In other words – not to over-rate ourselves. Secondly we are instructed to:
B. Think soberly.
The Greek word for soberly means to reason with a clear mind; not to exaggerate or over estimate; but to look at things realistically.
We are not to puff ourselves up nor are we to cut ourselves down. We are to look at ourselves in a realistic manner. How do we do that? We do that by looking at ourselves in the way God looks at us.
Look at what God says about us in Matthew chapter five:
"You are the salt of the earth ... You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13-14 (NKJV)
These verses tell us that we have value – that we have worth - that we are to have an impact and influence on the world around us. Salt and light change the things they come in contact with. A little salt will change the flavor of food. A little light will dispel the darkness – even if it is only a little light. That is why we have night-lights in our homes. They are small yet they give us enough light so that we can find our direction. They change things. They give us enough light so that we can make our way around our homes. Both salt and light change the things they come in contact with – so can we.
There is an interesting passage about King David found in Acts chapter thirteen – it says:
“When David was alive, he obeyed God. Then after he died, he was buried in the family grave, and his body decayed.” Acts 13:36 (CEV)
Can any of us deny the impact David had on the world? Many of the Psalms came from the hand of David. The most famous being the twenty-third psalm:
“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul.”
How many of us have found comfort from the twenty-third psalm? We turn to the twenty-third psalm when we need comfort - and comfort is offered. Amazing! Now look at the simple eulogy of David found in Acts chapter thirteen:
“When David was alive, he obeyed God. Then after he died, he was buried in the family grave, and his body decayed.” Acts 13:36 (CEV)
This verse tells us that when David was alive “he obeyed God.” We also know that when David was alive he disobeyed God sometimes too. You see David was a great sinner – but he was also a great servant. Let me tell you a Fact:
FACT:
God works through PEOPLE.
Not perfect people - because there are none. We all have our faults – we all have our failures – we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God – but that does not mean that God can not use you and me to His glory and to His honor. I do not need to think of myself more highly then I ought – but I don’t need to think less of myself either. God works through people - not perfect people - because there are none - but He works through people who are willing to follow Him – to serve Him. We are to be salt and light to the world around us - but we must be willing servants - willing to serve Jesus - willing to serve others.
I want to conclude today by telling you a story entitled: “The Last Wish of Horville Sash”
Horville Sash had a very important but humble job in the offices of the largest corporation in the world. He worked as a mail clerk in the lowest reaches of the building doing what he could do to help other people with their jobs. Often he wondered what went on the floor just above his. He could hear their footsteps every day and he would think of the exciting jobs they must have while he worked in the basement.
Then came a day when Horville found a bug scurrying across the floor. As the mailroom clerk, Horville had only bugs to command. He raised his foot to flatten the bug when the bug spoke: "Please don’t kill me," said the bug. "If you let me live, I’ll give you three wishes."
Horville figured that even if he didn’t get the wishes, a talking bug could make him a lot of money. So he let the bug live, and the bug asked him what he wanted for his first wish. "To be promoted to the next floor," said Horville. The next day Horville’s boss came in and told him he would move up to the next floor that very day.
Horville walked into the next floor offices like a conquering general, but soon he heard footsteps on the floor above him. He said to the bug, my second wish is to be promoted floor by floor until I reach the very top; until I am in charge of the company.
"Done," said the bug, and floor by floor he moved his way through the ranks: 10th floor, 20th floor, 50th floor, 90th floor, and finally to the very top floor. He was as high as he could go: Chairman of the Board; CEO of the company; corner office on the top floor of the building.
But then one day Horville heard footsteps above him. He saw a sign that said: STAIRS so He went up to the rooftop and there he found one of his clerks standing with his eyes closed. "What are you doing?" Horville asked. "Praying," came the answer. "To whom?" Pointing a finger toward the sky the boy answered, "To God."
Panic gripped Horville. There was a floor above him! He couldn’t see it. He couldn’t hear the shuffling of feet. All he saw was clouds. So he asked, "Do you mean there is an authority higher than me?"
Horville summoned the bug. It was time for his third and final wish. "Make me God," he said. "Make me the highest. Put me in the kind of position that only God would hold if he were here on earth."
The very next day Horville Sash awakened to find himself in the basement, sorting the mail, and doing what he could to help others be the best that they could possibly be. That’s how Horville Sash learned what Jesus taught:*
"If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Mark 9:35 (NKJV)
(1) From http://bobdylan.com/songs/serve.html
*The story of Horville Sash adopted from Roger Thomas - author unknown.
